Flaming June

Thursday 14th June.  


Dear diary


This evening I came home from work, quickly got changed into a floaty summer dress, padded outside in bare feet to eat dinner whilst sitting on the bench on the top patio and then sat reading bathed in beautiful golden evening sunshine with a glass of something cool and refreshing.  Around 10.30 when the light began to fade and a faint chill crept in, I lit the chiminea and watched the woodsmoke curl upwards into the still evening air as the bats and swifts swooped overhead.

Three, Two, One.... and she's back in the room.

Sigh.  I really must remember not to eat cheese late at night.

My feet are freezing.  I'm wearing PJs and a bliddy thick towelling dressing gown, the wind is blowing a hoolie down the chimney and the rain is lashing hard against the windows.  I've just attempted to let the dog out for his final constitutional of the day.  I say "attempted"" because once I'd battled to hold the door open and avoid getting what felt like a bucket of water chucked into my face, he took one look outside, gave me a look as if to say "are you having a laugh lady?" and slunk off to his bed under the kitchen table.  That told me then.

The forecast for the next three days is Storms,  then Rain/Thunder/Wind and Mostly Cloudy.

Deep joy.

Cheer up!  It'll be Christmas soon.   Ah well bloglies, whether we like it or not, we have no control over that contrary madam Mother Nature so we may as well embrace her and all her foibles.

After all.....

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"

Vivian Green.

NB
Whilst I was searching for the name of the author of the above quote, I stumbled upon a wonderful poem which seems quite fitting in the circumstances as we're all fed up to the back teeth with the distinct lack of summer. Hope you like it too.

WEATHER REPORT
~BJ Gallagher

"Any day I'm vertical
 is a good day"
...that's what I always say.

If you ask me,
"How are you?"

I'll answer, "GREAT!" 
because in saying so, 
I make it so.

When Life gives me dark clouds and rain, 
I appreciate the moisture 
that brings a soft curl to my hair.

When Life gives me sunshine, 
I gratefully turn my face up 
to feel its warmth on my cheeks.

When Life brings fog, 
I hug my sweater around me 
and give thanks for the cool shroud of mystery 
that makes the familiar seem different and intriguing.

When Life brings snow, 
I dash outside to catch the first flakes on my tongue, 
relishing the icy miracle that is a snowflake.

Life's events and experiences 
are like the weather - 
they come and go, 
no matter what my preference.

So, what the heck?!
I might as well decide to enjoy them.

For indeed, 
there IS a time for every purpose 
under Heaven.

And each season brings its own unique blessings.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - June edition!

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.co.uk/







Outside my window... is very cloud-full!  The magnolia is in full leaf and makes our small living room very dark over the summer.   Me thinks it may be time to bite the bullet and take drastic action.

I am thinking... that the weekend has gone far too quickly and that I simply wasn't born for this working malarkey.  Huff.  

I am thankful... that I'm ridiculously, heart poppingly happy.   And I don't care who knows it! :)

In the kitchen... is the debris from Sunday dinner awaiting Operation Wash-up.  Which won't be for at least another 45 mins as Man and I are having a Punk-fest, watching Punk Britannia at the BBC and singing along like loons to the featured artists.  Sigh.  A whole 90 mins of pure nostalgia!

I am wearing... black jeans and a black polo top.  (and very "punk as ****" grey slippers with pink bows and sequins.  Natch.   

I am creating...  my red white and blue ripple blankie and will be for a verrrrry long time it seems!

I am going... to take a hammer to the washing machine very shortly if it keeps stopping mid-cycle.  

I am wondering... whether I can get away with having a "mental health" day tomorrow.  This is doubtful!

I am reading... 50 Shades of Grey - Freed.  The third in the trilogy by  E L James.  Complete and utter trash and majorly overhyped but addictive in a 'so easy to read it's tragic' kinda way - which suits this woman of little brain's lack of patience with more cerebral tomes.   Oh.  And there's lots of sex in em too.  Which is nice.  hehehe.

I am hoping... that Tuesday will bring some answers for my Dad when he sees his Consultant.

I am looking forward to... seeing Public Image Limited in August.  Oh and a friend's mahoosively posh wedding next month.

I am learning ... to keep calm and carry on.    And to let go and move on.    And that you can't please all of the people all of the time.   

Around the house... the usual chaos prevails.   The dog is moulting.  Nuff said.

I am pondering... as to where at least one copy of my marriage certificate might be so that I can file my divorce application.  I have several - do you think I can find one of the bliddy things?!

A favorite quote for today...   "I am an anti-christ.  I am an anarchist".   Hah!!

One of my favorite things...  Twix McFlurry.  Today anyway! ;)

A few plans for the rest of the week: seeing my bestie for a weeks worth of holiday catching upathon!!  She's been to the TT this week so I'm looking forward to tales of men in leather and zoomy bikes!

A peek into my day...  - well.... not much has happened today really so I'm sharing an internet photo which always makes me smile!  

Bank Holiday Blather

Hey hey!

How was your Bank Holiday?   - Apart from being wet, that is!

We had planned to go to a community event in our local park.  My brother and a couple of friends had worked hard in a relatively short space of time to put together a 'Jubilee Picnic in the Park' for Sunday, which would feature our own version of the Olympics  - hula hoops, space hoppers, tug o war, giant jenga to name but a few of the games they had planned.  Unfortunately the weather made it a complete wash out and it was shelved until further notice - or a decent spell of dry weather.  Such a shame.

Although there's not much in the way of Royalist leanings going on here at Peapods per se, we are staunchly patriotic of old Blighty, and we can appreciate what old Queenie has achieved.  Plus I love any opportunity to deck the house up!  So on Saturday we went in search of bunting and a couple of flags to prettify the front garden.  Oopsie.   Leaving the buying of bunting and the like so late equalled a mahoosive Jubilee Fail.  Nary a strip of bunting or a UJ was to be found in the hallowed halls of the Poundshop/Wilkinsons/Home Bargains/everywhere else.  We had to seek solace in our local favourite coffee shop to ponder upon our misdemeanour.  Man had a brainwave though, and disappeared for a few minutes before returning triumphantly clutching a huge plastic laundry bag and a plastic shopping bag from aforementioned Pound Emporium.  In response to my look of puzzlement he merely tapped his nose knowingly and told me to wait and see.

Well.  How's this for a classic bit of improvisation?  He deconstructed said bags, cut triangles from the plastic fabric and then strung them in alternative colours on the tape which had held the bags together.  I put in a couple of running stitches to hold each penant securely and there we have it! Rain proof DIY red, white and blue bunting the likes of which no-one else has! Tadahhhh!  







In other news, during the latter part of Soggy Sunday I made my Jubilee Jack cake!  This was taken from a recipe using the new Stork baking liquid and using frozen berries over whipped double cream to decorate.  The sponge itself turned out really well and as it was soaked in citrus (in this case, lime) syrup, was deliciously moist too.

Is this the most boring blog photo ever?!

The sand has arrived for Operation Courtyard.  A whole lotta work looms on the horizon!  If it ever stops raining that is.

I had forgotten that I had planted alium bulbs and they seem to have popped up from nowhere which has been a nice surprise!  Hopefully they will come into flower in a few days' time so I can photograph them in all their glory.

The forecast is set for high winds and rain for the rest of the week.... guess it must be June then?!

See you soon! xxx